Project Purpose

Through Resolution #36805, City Council has directed the Bureau of Planning & Sustainability to develop a legislative proposal for annexation of West Hayden Island to the City with the intent to protect at least 500 acres as open space, and identify no more than 300 acres for future deep water marine terminal development. The bureau will bring a proposal to City Council for their consideration by December of 2011.

The project will include consideration of annexation, Comprehensive Plan designations, zoning and WHI Plan District designations for WHI, consistent with statewide planning goals, statutes, and state, regional and local regulations. The City uses a “plan district” framework, as defined in the Portland Zoning Code, to implement locally-specific area plans. It is envisioned that the eventual WHI Plan District will establish the zoning for the property and allowed uses if approved by City Council. The WHI Plan District is intended to provide a decision-making framework for future review of specific proposals. The WHI Plan District will not provide immediate authorization for specific development at this time, and therefore no state or federal permit applications will be part of this process.

There will be stakeholder involvement and a public involvement program. Consultants with subject expertise will be used to provide background technical information and analysis to inform the city planning and annexation process.

Policy Context

As part of all planning processes the City of Portland must consider Oregon Statewide Planning Goals, the Metro Urban Growth Management Functional Plan (UGMFP), and the City of Portland Comprehensive Plan Goals and Policies. In 1983, West Hayden Island was brought into the Urban Growth Boundary for marine industrial land use purposes. WHI is designated as Marine Industrial Land on the Metro 2040 Growth Concept Map and as a Regionally Significant Industrial Area on the Title 4 map. WHI is identified by Metro as a high value riparian area and a Habitat of Concern in the regional natural resources inventory, and as a Moderate Habitat Conservation Area in Title13, and requires the City to develop a district plan in cooperation with the Port to address the moderate HCA designation.

Project History (What Happened in Phase 1)

In the summer of 2007, the City began preparation of the Hayden Island Plan (for that portion of the island east of BNSF railroad tracks), which does not include WHI. The Hayden Island Plan was scheduled to coincide with the work on improvements planned for the I-5 corridor across Hayden Island, known as the Columbia Crossing. The City also initiated a new WHI planning process at that time, to respond to the regional policies noted above, and to ensure plans for the future of WHI are closely linked to plans for the rest of Hayden Island, and the Columbia Crossing.

During Phase I of the WHI Project a Community Working Group (CWG) was formed and met monthly to hear consultant updates on the Economic and Environmental Foundation Studies that would inform their discussions. Their charge was to advise City Council on how marine industrial, habitat, and recreational uses might be reconciled on WHI and, if they determined that a mix of uses is possible on WHI, to recommend a preferred concept plan. The CWG created a set of principles that will guide further planning in Phase II.

During phase one the City hired ENTRIX inc. to produce several Foundation Studies, providing background information about the environmental and economic aspects of the project. A number of other white papers were also produced by staff. (For more information, and specific project documents, refer to the project website:http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/index.cfm?c=49815).

To help City staff in reviewing these products, a Technical Advisory Pool (TAP) was also created. The TAP functioned as a pool of experts on issues related to the West Hayden Island project. The TAP met intermittently to review information and provide their technical comments. Their comments are available on the project website. TAP members included representatives from Federal and State environmental and economic agencies, Metro, City Bureaus, PDC, Portland Audubon, and the Port of Portland.

In July of 2010 the City Council received a report from the CWG, and after hearing extensive public testimony City Council directed the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability to develop a legislative proposal for annexation of West Hayden Island to the City with the intent to protect at least 500 acres as open space, and identify no more than 300 acres for future deep water marine terminal development.

As we enter Phase II, BPS staff has discussed different public involvement strategies moving forward with the project. We need to identify a public involvement framework that will help us achieve this. At the same time and coordinated with WHI Phase II, the City will propose an update to the existing Environmental Program for East Hayden Island and the south bank of the Columbia River. However, the remainder of this public involvement plan is specific to WHI Phase II.

Public Involvement Plan

The public involvement goal for this project will be to inform and encourage meaningful public engagement in the decision making process from as many people and groups as possible, in conjunction with the drafting of a proposed concept plan that will achieve a viable balance of natural resource protection and marine industrial development (within the parameters provided by City Council), while also potentially providing some passive nature-based recreation.

In order to reach this goal BPS staff must reach out to and work with several key audiences and feed their input back into the decision making process. Some of the key audiences will include:

Public Involvement Workshop

As public outreach will be a key element during this planning process, it is important to ensure that outreach is fair and balanced in terms of communities of interest involved, and that dialogue is conducted with all stakeholders who may have an interest and be affected by possible annexation. BPS will hold a public involvement workshop in the fall/winter of 2010 to brainstorm outreach activities for engaging a variety of audiences in this process. The results of this workshop will serve as a guide to City staff in the planning of outreach activities for the project.

Topics of discussion will include:

Determination of relevant audiences, best tools/strategies and appropriate timing for public input for each part of the project, including review of the technical studies, concept plan development and the legislative process. (The items under “Targeted Outreach and Strategies for Public Participation” below represent a list of potential strategies and tools as a starting point to workshop discussions),

Advice on types of events to encourage public input,

Methods on how public input will be gathered and how it will feed into the decision making process.

West Hayden Island Committee Formation

In the fall of 2010 the Mayor will be appointing a new project Advisory Committee for Phase 2 of the project, to replace the former Coordinating Committee and Community Working Group. This new six to 10 member Advisory Committee would offer advice to City staff on an ongoing basis. The Port would have one seat on this committee. In addition, Technical Panels will be formed to offer a third party review of consultant studies that will be completed per the Council resolution. Below is a description of the new Advisory Committee and the Technical Panels.

Advisory Committee (6-10)

The primary function of the WHI Advisory Committee is to advise the Bureau of Planning & Sustainability on the West Hayden Island Project and related programs. This small group will ensure that: the project objectives are being met, the project stays on track, the work is done in a transparent way, and the end result is within the framework of City Council’s Resolution 36805 and is consistent with the project IGA and Work plan.

This group may be responsible for:

Reviewing background materials to understand phase one of the WHI project;

Advising City staff on consultant scopes of work and hiring; in addition to including a member of the Advisory Committee or a person chosen by the Advisory Committee on all consultant selection committees;

Reviewing changes in project activities or timeline, if those occur,

Reviewing and commenting on the development of the concept plan (s); and offering comments to the Planning and Sustainability Commission;

Advising City staff on the formation of expert panels to review consultant and staff reports for technical accuracy;

Advising City staff as they explore potential solutions to communications issues raised by the public as well as receiving public input to inform their project discussions;

Advising City staff on ways to solicit public input on the plan district, and other legislative documents and also how to incorporate public input into the proposed planning documents;

Advising on the requirements and standards that will guide future development activities, and

Attending Council work sessions and Port Commission check ins as needed to offer comments on project activities and progress.

This group will meet monthly. Some key participants may include:

Neighborhood representatives

Business representation

Port of Portland and Port of Vancouver representation

Organized Labor

Regional representation

Tribal government representation

Technical experts (Econ & Env)

Planning & Sustainability Commission member

Environmental Organization representative

Equity stakeholder

Technical Panels (3-4 people/panel)

Technical experts will be selected by the Advisory Committee to review staff and consultant studies, to offer feedback and suggestions for changes before the reports are released for public use. Some example panels may include: specialty planning/design panels, environmental specialist panel to review/discuss NRI or site layout impacts on the island habitats, regional policy makers and expert’s panel to look at land management options and rail analysis panels. City staff and other technical experts will be chosen to participate in technical panels based on their expertise in the subject matter of the studies. Members of the TAP (see below) from Phase I may be included in the pool of candidates for the panels.

The Technical Panels may meet for a ½ day workshop after reviewing reports, consultant studies or other work to offer feedback. They may also be asked to meet with the Advisory Committee to provide a summary of suggested changes/modifications for the specific report they are assigned to review.

Technical Advisory Pool (TAP)

The TAP, set up under Phase One of the project, would be transitioned into a pool from which to pull people into the Technical Panels, as well as to provide e-mail updates on project activities.

Targeted Outreach and Strategies for Public Participation

The City is committed to continuing targeted outreach efforts to special interest groups, neighborhood groups and the general public to solicit questions, comments and suggestions as additional studies are done to inform the concept planning process. Below is a short description of some additional audiences we will continue to work with and strategies we may use to encourage participation and input. Through the Public Involvement Workshop, to be held in the fall/winter 2010, city staff will modified outreach efforts and strategies based on feedback received.

Policy Makers and Local Governments

Throughout this next phase of the project the Project team will meet with the City Council and Planning & Sustainability Commission for work sessions to update both groups on consultant studies, public engagement activities and other project deliverables. City staff will also inform the City of Vancouver, Metro and other agencies on project activities as needed.

BPS staff will continue quarterly check-ins with Tribal Government Representatives who have expressed interest in the project. Phase I updates were provided to Grande Ronde, Yakama Nation and Warm Springs. As Sovereign governments, Tribal leaders and/or their staff should be engaged. As this next phase gets started, BPS staff will confirm if there is continued interest in being updated on the project or becoming more involved in the project.

Interest Groups

Special presentations or workshops may be provided for more targeted outreach to special interest groups such as Audubon, The Working Waterfront Coalition, Columbia Corridor Association, Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership, Willamette Riverkeepers.

Neighborhood/ Business Associations

Updates to neighborhood associations, homeowners associations, and moorages on the island will be provided by City staff on a regular basis to keep these groups up to date on project activities, timelines and all upcoming events that they may want to participate in. These updates will occur through project email updates to our WHI mailing list and through attendance at regularly scheduled neighborhood meetings. These groups may include:

HiNoon

St John’s

East Columbia

Kenton

Bridgeton Neighborhood Association

West Hayden Island Moorage

Class Harbor Moorage

Cathedral Park

Friends of West Hayden Island

Hayden Island Manufactured Home Community

Hayden Island Livability Project (HILP) Committee

Esther Short Neighborhood Association (Vancouver)

Fruit Valley Neighborhood Association (Vancouver)

Labor Unions (e.g. ILWU, AFSME)

Property Owners

People who own property on East Hayden Island or the south bank of the Columbia River will be kept up-to-date on the WHI Phase II planning effort, the Environmental Program update for Hayden Island (east and west), and any proposed changes that may occur to environmental overlay zones on their property.

General Public

Communicating project information to the general public and getting feedback on different project products and activities will involve events such as open houses and design workshops, updating the project web site, creating monthly e-mail updates and attending neighborhood events and meetings.

Strategies for Public Participation

Below is a list of strategies BPS used on a variety of planning projects. Participants at the public involvement summit in the fall of 2010 will review these strategies and tools and offer feedback on them as they relate to WHI project activities including the review of technical studies, concept plan development and the legislative process.

Send general notification of project activities and upcoming activities and events: This can be done through direct mail, use of BPS electronic newsletter, Events calendar on BPS and project web site, and emails to Hayden Island mailing list.

Prepare project information/updates for distribution: This will be done through a monthly newsletter, updating information weekly on the project web site, and holding office hours on the island on a regular basis.

Attend meetings of neighborhood groups and other interested groups and organizations. These meetings could consist of general project updates on project progress and as the project moves forward could involve presenting findings from studies and soliciting questions and comments from community members.

Design and implement special workshops or work sessions around topic areas and key questions to encourage public input. One example will be to hold design workshops for the concept plans that will involve public input. Another example may be to invite community members to special work sessions around a specific topic area such as air quality or traffic to provide a presentation on project research as well as an opportunity for public input.

Public participation tools

Project website to provide access to information, updated or new reports, calendar of events, meeting minutes and agendas

Public Involvement Log

On line discussion board- continue to use in Phase II for expert panel discussions

Tracking and Utilizing Public Input in the Decision Making Process

As public comments and questions are collected throughout the planning process a public involvement log will be maintained and used as a way to share comments from the public to the Advisory Committee and City Council members. The City Project team will also use the log as one tool to coordinate answers/comments back to the public.

Attachment A summarizes work to be accomplished as per the Resolution. The studies have been ranked on a scale of 1-5, 5 symbolizing the greatest need for public input and 1 symbolizing highly technical. The degree of public input will vary by work product depending on the public and local impact and how the work product impacts the concept plan development, which is one of the essential public input points in the process.

This list of technical reports has been complied based on Resolution 36805. Each consultant will be asked to assess existing information produced during phase 1 for utility and completeness as it may relate to their research for the project.

Group A: Preliminary reports in these areas will be needed to identify core site planning issues/ requirements for the concept planning phase of the project.

Rail Study (consultant): This analysis will review different rail access scenarios that can be accommodated within a 300 acres footprint. (1)

Operational Efficiencies (consultant): This report will review port site plan innovations around the world, with analysis of why these strategies would or would not work in Portland. (3)

Analysis/explanation of existing marine industrial land supply and needs (BPS and consultant). A feasibility analysis of consolidation/expansion of existing sites will be included. This would involve an update of harbor lands inventory work done for the River Plan, and will include the Vancouver waterfront lands. (2)

Transportation Analysis/CRC Coordination (PBOT and consultant): Part 1 of the Transportation analysis will develop concept street plan alternatives including consideration of a concept bridge design to avoid/minimize adverse impacts to HI Residents. This report will also look at transportation infrastructure needs and costs. (5)

Analysis of Vancouver Port Coordination (BPS): This analysis will look at advantages and opportunities for increased coordination between the Port of Portland and Port of Vancouver as well as some research on interstate Port Authority logistics. (3)

Natural Resource Inventory (BPS, BES, OHWR): The inventory will build on existing natural resource inventories, and Metro's inventory of regionally significant riparian corridors and wildlife habitat. The inventory is being done for East and West Hayden Island. (5)

Public Costs and Benefits - Infrastructure Needs (consultant): Part I of the Public Costs and Benefits Report will identify infrastructure needs (bridge, water, sewer, etc) and associated costs. It will also include an analysis of the financial tools available to facilitate infrastructure development. (1)

Group B: These reports will be based on the preliminary concept plan(s).

Recreation Analysis (BPS w/ Parks): This report will build off of what ENTRIX produced for the project as well as the Hayden Island Plan to look at nature based recreational options in more detail. (5)

Expand Local Impacts report (BPS): This report builds on information from Phase One considering air quality (dust and emissions) noise, light and traffic impacts to be incorporated into Plan District. This work will focus on examining the impacts related to uses anticipated with the actual concept plan. (5)

Updated Cargo Forecast (consultant): This analysis, to be initiated in mid-2011, will update Cargo Forecasts used by ENTRIX in the Economic Foundation Study using the most up to date numbers. (1)

Land Management Options (BES, OHWR): This analysis will develop alternatives for how natural resource lands could be managed over the long term, including proposals for long term ownership, and strategies to pay for land mgmt activities. (2)

Regulatory Requirements (ESA, CWA, FEMA – OHWR/BES): The proposal will include a report on regulatory requirements and how they may or may not be met. This may involve consultation about the concept plan with the BES-managed streamlining team. (2)

Public Costs and Benefits Report (consultant): Part II of the Costs and Benefits report will be an analysis of the public costs and benefits associated with proposed public improvements (including independent review and update of the jobs and tax revenue estimates). The analysis will also look at the ecosystem services benefits of the 500 acres of open space. (5)

Transportation Analysis/CRC Coordination (PBOT and consultant): Part II of this analysis will use the model output generated by PBOT (using most up to date CRC design options) to perform a transportation analysis of the WHI impact area in addition to the amount and geographic extent of traffic attracted to a new WHI bridge. (5)

Economic, Social, Environment, &, Energy Document (ESEE) (BPS): The ESEE report will analyze the current and potential consequences and trade-offs of different natural resource protection program choices for Hayden Island. (5)